by Robert Klemko, USA TODAY Sports

by Robert Klemko, USA TODAY Sports

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick believes he will have an opportunity to play quarterback next year wherever he lands, and he doesn't view an unexpected opportunity to start for injured Nick Foles this Sunday as an audition.

Vick says his resume speaks for itself.

"I'm not going out to audition for a job. I'm going out to try and win," Vick told USA TODAY Sports on Monday. "My play and what I've done for this league and the accolades that I have speak for themselves. The thing I want to do is improve. Whatever happens next year happens. I'm just going to be a guy who, wherever I'm at, I'm going to make the team better."

Vick spent his Christmas Eve Monday handing out gifts to children at a church in his hometown of Newport News, Va. He learned Monday that Foles, the rookie who replaced him and won the starting job after Vick went out with a concussion, broke a bone in his throwing hand during a 27-20 loss to the Washington Redskins.

Despite the circumstances, Vick is pleased with the likelihood he'll play (coach Andy Reid says there's a "pretty good chance" Vick will start Sunday). The Eagles (4-11) have an opportunity to keep the New York Giants (8-7) out of the playoffs.

"I'm excited about it," he said. "I love the game of football. ... Regardless of our record, I'm excited to be out there.

"I'm just grateful to have the opportunity to play again. I plan on taking advantage of it."

He'll have no trouble flipping the switch and preparing for the Giants defense after six weeks on the shelf, he says. Prior to his Nov. 11 concussion, Vick passed for 2,165 yards, 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions as the Eagles dropped to 3-6 with five losses in a row.

"I've been in the league 10 years," he says. "I know how to get in and out of game mode and how to give it my all when I need to."

Vick is likely to be released at the conclusion of the season. He's due $3 million of his $16 million salary if he remains on the roster beyond Feb. 6, but the team can release him before that date and owe him nothing of his 2013 salary.

Since Vick became the starter in 2010, his play has steadily regressed, and he continues to miss games with various injuries, many of them related to his penchant for running. He signed a $100 million contract in 2011 that is scheduled to run through 2017.

Does he think he has been treated unfairly?

"A lot of things transpired this year," he says. "Do I think some things could have been handled differently? Yeah, maybe so. But there's no use crying over things you have no control over. The most important thing for me is to give everything I got when I step onto the field and not hold any grudge."